Sparks Kristi Toliver (20) gets a rebound by Lynx Jia Perkins (7) during the first half of Game 4 of the WNBA Finals at Staples Center on Sunday. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

Lynx Lindsay Whalen (13) is fouled by Sparks Chelsea Gray (12) during first half action during Game 4 of the WNBA Finals at Staples Center on Sunday. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

Sparks Chelsea Gray (12) drives up for two points as Lynx Natasha Howard (3) defends on the play during first half of Game 4 of the WNBA Finals at Staples Center on Sunday. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

Sparks Candace Parker (3) goes up for two points as Lynx Rebekkah Brunson (32) defends on the play during first half of Game 4 of the WNBA Finals at Staples Center on Sunday. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

Sparks Alana Beard (0) and Lynx Maya Moore (23) go after a rebound during first half of Game 4 of the WNBA Finals at Staples Center on Sunday. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

Sparks Kristi Toliver (20) goes up for two points as Lynx Seimone Augustus (33) defends on the play during first half of Game 4 of the WNBA Finals at Staples Center on Sunday. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

Lynx Lindsay Whalen (13) goes up for a shot as Sparks Alana Beard (0) defends on the play during first half of Game 4 of the WNBA Finals at Staples Center on Sunday. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

Lynx Seimone Augustus (33) is fouled by Sparks Nneka Ogwumike (30) during first half of Game 4 of the WNBA Finals at Staples Center on Sunday. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

The Sparks' Alana Beard and Minnesota's Lynx Seimone Augustus, right, go after a rebound during the first half.

Kobe Bryant takes a court side seat to cheer on the Sparks at game 4 of the WNBA Finals at Staples Center on Sunday. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

Sparks Candace Parker (3) and Lynx Maya Moore (23) battle to a jump ball during first half of Game 4 of the WNBA Finals at Staples Center on Sunday. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

Lynx Maya Moore (23) shoots for two as Sparks Nneka Ogwumike (30) defends on the play during Game 4 of the WNBA Finals at Staples Center on Sunday. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

LOS ANGELES – For a brief moment, it looked as though the Sparks would grab the game and run with it.

Candace Parker drove to the basket and banked it in to tie it at 69-69 with 6:01 left to play, bringing the Staples Center crowd to its feet — Kobe Bryant included.

But the defending WNBA champion Minnesota Lynx weren’t going to go down without a fight. They fought their way to a winner-take-all game on their home court, defeating the Sparks 85-79 in Game 4 of the WNBA Finals on Sunday. With the series even at 2, it moves back to Minnesota for Game 5 on Thursday.

“I thought they played with a little more poise than we did,” Sparks coach Brian Agler said. “The game was in the balance there with under two or three minutes. We had opportunities but didn’t have the ability to play with poise down the stretch.

Maya Moore was impossible to contain. The Lynx forward scored 31 points, grabbed nine rebounds and added five assists. Moore was tasked with defending Parker and held her to 14 points and three rebounds. Parker missed her first five shots from the field and shot far below her average, going 4 for 14.

“Maya just makes plays,” Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said. “I thought Maya was more persistent in trying to find opportunities to score in a variety of ways.”

The Sparks were led by guard Kristi Toliver’s 15 points. Nneka Ogwumike scored 11 points with a team-high eight rebounds and Alana Beard also scored 11.

A game-ending run never came to fruition. After that Parker shot, the Sparks got a big stop on their next possession and then promptly turned the ball over and Lindsay Whalen laid it in on the fast break. They then turned the ball over again and Rebekkah Brunson grabbed a rebound and fed Whalen for a bank shot and the Lynx went back up 73-69.

“I felt like we weren’t getting stops,” Ogwumike said. “We had a couple of slip-ups when it came to handling the ball at the end.”

Again, with 30 seconds left to play, the Sparks were down just two points and had the ball. But they turned it over and Parker was charged with a foul. Brunson hit both free throws to close the scoring.

That one series essentially told the story of the game. The Sparks were outrebounded, 41-25. Minnesota’s aggressive rebounding allowed it to score 14 second-chance points and get out in transition. The Lynx outscored the Sparks 22-9 on the fast break.

“We have to be tougher and more assertive in getting in the right position but also make plays,” Toliver said. “At the end of the day it was rebounding. All five of us have to get a body on people. That’s whats going to get us a championship.”

The Sparks will depart for Minnesota on Tuesday with renewed emphasis on rebounding, composure and stopping Moore.

“We didn’t lack desire or will to win. We competed hard enough,” Agler said. “We’ve just got to put that back together and play with more poise.”

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